How To Subscribe
and Unsubscribe is at the end of this note. Mailing List Trouble? See http://www.langa.com/help.txt
Questions about the advertisers? See the end of
this note. Please also see legal notices at the end of
this note.
Want an easier-to read formatted HTML version? See http://www.langa.com/whats_new.htm (The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [GMT-5] of the issue date.)
Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000 !)
The LangaList
6-Mar-00
A Free Email Newsletter from Fred
Langa
That Helps You Get More From Your Hardware,
Software, and Time Online
--------------( Please Visit This
LangaList Sponsor!) ------------
--------------(
the above is a paid advertisement )--------------
First the good news: A few
days ago, the LangaList crossed the 100,000 subscriber mark--- a watershed.
Heck, there are many full-blown corporate-backed publications with fewer
subscribers than that, so 100K is truly a no-bones-about-it large number
for a non-corporate, part-time, one-man operation, as this newsletter is.
<g> I confess I'm a little bowled
over by the rapid growth of the newsletter (500% last year!). It makes me feel
great that so many of you find this newsletter worthwhile; and it's a little
humbling, too: I appreciate your vote of confidence in me, and I'll try to do my
very best for you. In short: Thank you all for
being part of the LangaList family! In fact, thanks a millio---well, a tenth of
a million! 8-) Now the bad news: The move
to the new site is dragging. Although it usually takes only a couple days to get
a *new* site online and registered with name-severs around the world (new sites
are a high priority) site
*transfers,* alas, take longer. As I write this, the new home of
Langa.Com is in limbo: Most of the site is up and ready to go as soon as
InterNIC gets its act together and moves the pointers from the old home of
Langa.Com to the new one. Once that happens, I'll have a little cleanup to do
(mostly to ensure that all internal links point to the new site), and then it'll
be ready to roll. But the transition has yet to
take place, and I have no way of predicting when it will kick in. When it does,
some pages, files, and services (including my email, alas!) may go offline or
not work properly for a short while. I apologize in advance if this causes you
any inconvenience. If you have trouble accessing any
part of http://www.langa.com
in the next week or so, please use the current site's NUMERIC ADDRESS (http://www.langa.com). For example, if http://www.langa.com/whats_new.htm
doesn't work, simply use http://www.langa.com/whats_new.htm
and you'll get where you want to go. Note that I've already changed many of the
langa.com links in this newsletter to help ensure that things will work OK for
you during the transition. You'll know when the new site is
live because it's a whole new design. Meanwhile, and again, I apologize in
advance if this causes you any inconvenience. Click to
email this item to a friend --------------(
Please Visit This LangaList Sponsor!) ------------
--------------(
the above is an advertisement )--------------
WinMag.Com just posted a feature
article I wrote for them: How to "Pick The Perfect Web Host." It
explains what to look for, where to find lists of hosts and host-selection
services, what to ask of any web host before you sign up, and how to pick hosts
for three specific example site types: a personal/budget site, a
corporate/e-commerce site, and a high-volume site. If you're thinking of opening a
web site or moving your existing site to a better host (as I did!) check it out! http://content.techweb.com/winmag//help/2000/webhosting/ Click to
email this item to a friend Last week, I told you about
Aureate Media's "phone home" software that can secretly send
information about you and your system either to Aureate or to the companies who
have built Aureate's software into their applications or downloads. (See http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/mar-02-00.htm#4
) There are about 300(!)
applications in all that employ the Aureate tracker, including Go!Zilla,
CuteFTP, GetRight, Buddyphone and many others. Once again, you can see if
Aureate's "spyware" resides on your system by searching for
"Advert.dll" which is the central piece of the Aureate system (there
are many other pieces too, but this one's the biggie.) If you find Advert.dll,
then Aureate's software is on your system. I dislike "phone home"
apps of any kind; I don't want any application to perform any communication
without my knowledge, no matter how benign the vendor says it is. (And in fact,
many vendors who use the Aureate app say they just use it to cache ads banners.
But the fact remains it *can* be used for much more.) That's why I suggested disabling
the Aureate software by a quick-and-dirty, brute-force method: I manually
deleted Advert.dll from my system (this rips the heart out of the Aureate
system) and erased any references to Aureate in my Registry (using Regedit.Exe). Several readers reported Windows
wouldn't allow Advert.dll to be deleted. Windows does this when a file is active
and in use; it prevents you from deleting part of a running application. So if
this happened to you, it means the Advert.dll was active at the time you tried
to delete it. The solution is to exit windows
to DOS ("Restart in MS-DOS mode") and delete the file from there. Note
that exiting to DOS is not the same thing as simply opening a DOS window: You
have to completely exit Windows for Advert.dll to become inactive. To prevent Advert.dll from being
reinstalled without your knowledge, several readers suggested a clever trick:
deleting the real Advert.dll and then creating a fake one (say, saving an empty
notepad .TXT file and renaming it Advert.dll) and then using the right-click
Properties dialog to make the fake file "read only." The fake file
can't do you any harm, and because it's read-only, it should not be able to be
overwritten by any real copy of Advert.dll that tries to install itself in the
future. (Thanks to all who sent in this suggestion!) Deleting the DLL or creating a
fake replacement works, but is admittedly crude. It also may break whatever
application installed it. For example, Go!Zilla and CuteFTP won't run without
the real Advert.dll installed. I don't think *any* app that uses Advert.dll is
worth having, but that's me; you may feel differently. If so, a less drastic
means of disabling the DLL is to rename it (again, from DOS) to something like
Advert.dxx. That way, it will be disabled, but if it turns out you need an app
that uses Advert.dll, you can simply rename the file to restore it, either
temporarily or permanently. Click to
email this item to a friend I list a full dozen(!) personal
firewalls in my current WinMag column. None is perfect; all offer various mixes
of strengths and weaknesses. But any one of these 12 apps can help protect you
from over hack attacks, and several can also help prevent sneaky apps from
"phoning home" behind your back. Come check out the full-length
column at http://content.techweb.com/winmag//columns/explorer/2000/05.htm
and then click over to the discussion area. Join in! Click to
email this item to a friend -------------(
Please Visit This LangaList Sponsor!) ------------
--------------(
the above is an advertisement )--------------
Everyone wants the Star Trek
experience: You whap your comm badge, speak any phrase beginning with the word
"Computer," and the computer (1) perfectly understands your request,
(2) answers you in natural-sounding language, and (3) then carries out your
wishes. The future is closer than you may
think: Right now, you can download a real-time animated character that will sit
in your PC and carry on a decent---if not particularly weighty---conversation
with you. Personal animated newscasters, "agents" who can do your
bidding, and much more also are either available today, or will be very soon. It's awesome, near-term
technology. Come check it out at http://www.byte.com/column/BYT20000222S0002! Click to
email this item to a friend Last week, I told you about
Langa.Com's new "Favicon," donated by reader "Randall." (See
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/mar-02-00.htm#5
) That item prompted a mini-flood
of reader email, like this: OK Fred don't leave us
wannabe developers hanging.... Here's the scoop: A Favicon is a
16x16pixel, 16-color bitmap saved in the special icon format, named
"favicon.ico," and placed in the root of a web site. Internet Explorer
looks for a Favicon when it's asked to save a page as a Favorite
("favicon"= favorite icon) or make a shortcut to a page. If the page
is on a website with a Favicon, IE uses it; if there's no Favicon, IE uses the
default icon (a page-with-the-IE-logo) instead. If you have a web site, you can
create your own Favicon, drop it into the root directory of your site, and then
anyone surfing to your site with IE will automatically have access to it. It's not foolproof; the Favicon
doesn't always work right with subdirectories, and clearing your cache can wipe
it out. But it's still better than seeing that boring old page-with-the-IE-logo
icon all the time. 8-) You'll find a full explanation
and a 100% free and easy to use icon editor at http://www.favicon.com/.
Using either the downloadable editor or the live, online version, you can create
your own Favicon. It's easy--- check it out! Click to
email this item to a friend If you think the
LangaList is a worthwhile read, just use the following link to recommend the
LangaList to a friend. Your friend just may find a new source of useful
information; I just may gain a new subscriber; and you just may win $10,000(!)
for your trouble (full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1 Or, win a copy of
"Poor Richard's E-Mail Publishing: Creating Newsletters, Bulletins,
Discussion Groups and Other Powerful Communications Tools." This book has
been described as "An excellent, straightforward manual on email
publishing, banner ads, driving traffic and especially ethics." (Full
details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 Either way, thank
you, and good luck! Click to
email this item to a friend Like to see what your fellow
readers are up to? Here's a VERY eclectic selection of reader sites--- some
professional, some *very* personal--- from among the many, many readers who have
taken me up on my "Load the Code" offer. Do you have a home page or
website? (It doesn't matter what size.) Please click on over to http://www.langa.com/code.htm,
and maybe your page can be featured here too! I did mention they were
"eclectic," didn't I? 8-) Click to
email this item to a friend -------------(
Please Visit This LangaList Sponsor!) ------------
Great
Prices! --------------(
the above is an advertisement )--------------
I love topological maps--- they
can serve as road maps or as off-road hiking/camping/boating guides; and they
can tell you a lot about a region's landforms, hydrology, and human development.
They're about the most information-rich type of map there is. MapTech---which happens to be
located one town away from where I live---has been producing CD-based mapware
for quite a while, and it's good stuff that lets you plan a hike, boat trip or
other or outing, and then print a customized topo map that has just the sections
and information you need. Cool! But now they've gone online with
a free topo map server; it also serves up nautical charts: As MapTech says,
"Go to http://www.maptech.com
. Enter the name of your city or town, select the state and click Go. For
coastal areas, you can also turn on the split screen option and view the topo
and chart side-by-side. It's that easy. Print what you see for free." The service is brand new; they'll
be adding more bells and whistles as they go along. But if---like me--- you love
the information richness of topo maps, the Maptech site is already well worth a
click! Click to
email this item to a friend Mo' Murphy (picking up from last
week): Murphy's
Technology Law #11: Murphy's
Technology Law #12: Murphy's
Technology Law #13: Murphy's
Technology Law #14: Murphy's
Technology Law #15: Murphy's
Technology Law #16: Murphy's
Technology Law #17: Click to
email this item to a friend -------------(
Please Visit This LangaList Sponsor!) ------------
--------------(
the above is an advertisement )--------------
See you next issue! Best, (Please recommend
the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000!I) An easier-to read formatted HTML version is
available in the "what's new" section of http://www.langa.com.
(The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [GMT-5] of the
issue date.) All past LangaList issues are also available via the same link. Why are you getting this newsletter? There are
only two ways to get on the list (direct email request or via the WinMag mail
list signup page) so if you're getting this newsletter; your name came to me
through one of those channels. SUBSCRIBE (it's free!): Send email to subscribe-langalist@lyris.dundee.net About
the advertisers: Langa Consulting LLC will never knowingly accept
advertising for a fraudulent product, company or service. However, Langa Consulting LLC makes no implied or explicit warranty, recommendation or endorsement
of or for the products, companies or services mentioned in the ads. Disclaimer:
The tips and other information given in the newsletter are researched and are
believed to be accurate, but we cannot and do not guarantee that all the
information here will work on all systems, for all users, all the time. All
information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind. Neither
Langa Consulting LLC, nor its employees nor contributors are responsible for any
loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from application of
any information presented here. This newsletter is a free service of Langa Consulting LLC and is Copyright © 2000 Langa Consulting LLC. All rights reserved.1)
Good News/Bad News
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of page2)
Speaking of Web Hosts...
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of page3)
More Aureate "Spyware" Options
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of page4)
A Good Firewall Helps, Too
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of page5)
"Computer: A Cup of Earl Grey, Very Hot"
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of page6)
Make and Use Your Own FavIcon--- for FREE
How do we put a favicon on our sites?? Is it a file that gets called from the
website page?? Where do I put it on my site when I upload it. How do I call it
when the user bookmarks the page...HELP...... Thanks.--- Ernest Aguilar
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of page7)
Want $10 Grand?
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of page8)
More Readers "Load The Code!"
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of page
Promote your product or service
to over 100,000 readers,
and lock in today's low ad rates through June 30!
see http://www.langa.com/ratecard.htm9)
Topo Maps Online, For Free!
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of page10)
Just For Grins
You can never tell which way the train went by looking at the track.
An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he/she knows
absolutely everything about nothing.
Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the galaxy, and he'll believe you.
Tell him a bench has wet paint on it, and he'll have to touch to be sure.
All great discoveries are made by mistake.
Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget.
All's well that ends . . . period.
Murphy was an optimist.
http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm
return to top of page
Fred
(fred@langa.com)
UNSUBSCRIBE: Send email to unsubscribe-langalist@lyris.dundee.net
LIST TROUBLE? HAVE QUESTIONS? NEED HELP? See http://www.langa.com/help.txt